Progressive enlightenment of mankind: Can mankind become a complete master of natural forces?

In the past ages, natural activities were relegated to the domain of “mysticism”

For countless ages in the past, mankind was a passive observer of nature’s forces and activities which once seemed to be locked in the domain of mysticism and spiritualism. Accounts of the belief systems of the earliest races of mankind show that people once marveled at unknown and unexplainable forces that caused changes in weather, lightning, movement of distant stars, etc.

In the distant past, the forces of nature and natural activities were shrouded in mystery and were often feared and worshipped. In fact, the ancients assumed that natural activities were beyond human comprehension, and the lack of adequate understanding of natural forces made the ancients create myths about gods in order to explain the natural activities that occurred around them.

In recent ages, natural activities have been accepted as natural, and are explained by natural laws

In contrast with the beliefs of the ancients, recent generations have witnessed brilliant people succeed in controlling and tweaking the forces of nature for the benefit of mankind. Hopefully, with the inspiring achievements of this age, mankind could soon become a complete master of nature in the future.

Many natural activities that were once thought to be controlled by divine, spiritual, or mystical power, are now clearly understood due to in-depth knowledge of the theories behind the forces of nature. It’s been proven that most activities that were once considered mystical have always been natural since the beginning of time; and God who is the creator of these forces, made them always adhere to certain rules which could be effectively controlled—yesterday, today, and forever.

Activities, considered as mystical/spiritual in past ages, are now accepted as “natural”

In ages bygone, there were predominant mystical or spiritual influences of magicians, prophets, men of God, etc. In recent ages, we’ve had technological advancements that still look like magic, and could pretty well have been relegated to the realm of mysticism, witchcraft, or sorcery ages ago.

Today, we have a solid understanding of the forces of nature, and unlike the ancients who lived in the dark ages of science and didn’t understand the forces of nature, we don’t believe that lightning bolts, environmental plagues, etc., are the handwork of any gods.

It’s true that scientific predictions would likely not always be exact, even though they’ve been authoritative, and most times correct because they clearly express and approximately quantify the forces of nature that drive the world—and probably the entire universe.

Each time the forces and laws of nature were thoroughly studied, understood, and described, their applications have changed human history and the way mankind views natural activities that have been propelled by natural forces.

Three major forces of nature & their impacts

(1) The first force we’ll look at is the force of gravity

Isaac Newton was the first to give a natural and convincing reason/explanation why objects move after being exerted by forces, rather than by the influence of some gods or mystical spirits. Newton’s insight contributed a lot to the success of the industrial revolution which came much later.

(2) The second force is electromagnetic force

This force lights our world up: think about a force that lights up our cities and powers all our appliances. When great scientists such as Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, and others gave insight that explained the effects of combining electricity and magnetism, a clear pathway was prepared for the electronic revolution which has been a home for the greatest scientific discoveries and wonders.

(3) The third force is nuclear force

During the 1930s, and around the time the atom was split, Albert Einstein wrote down a famous equation (E = mc²) which made it possible—for the first time—for scientists to understand the forces that light up our world and the universe. This understanding revealed the secret behind the brilliant lights from the stars. Also, it led to the creation of the power behind atomic weapons which have destroyed a lot of lives and property.

Important points that should be noted

Fortunately, with the efforts of the most brilliant minds, mankind now has a great understanding of these major forces—there could be quite a good number of others that we could consider as minor forces.

Gravity is now properly described by the theory of general relativity (note: some theories and predictions of general relativity differ significantly from those of classical physics which is the core of engineering principles), while electromagnetic and nuclear forces are well described by the quantum theory which has given insight into happenings in the invisible subatomic worlds. Unlike the industrial and electronic revolution, quantum theory led to the creation of the laser, transistor, and the digital revolution which is one of the pillars of modern technology.

The secret behind the DNA molecule, which was unknown and mysterious in ages past, has been unlocked by scientists through an understanding of the quantum theory. Furthermore, this has created a firm foundation for biotechnological revolution and the successful alteration of natural genes. The result is that mankind is now much more capable of seeing what science and technology will be able to achieve in years to come.

What more should we expect?

As it has happened over recent years—even up to the present time—there will be more unexpected and completely new surprises that would leave mankind speechless and in great awe. One thing is sure: the theories behind natural forces, which were unknown to the ancients, but are now understood and used as drivers of modern science and technology, would likely not be altered—at least in the foreseeable future. However, we can agree that improvements could be made when necessary.

Summary

Mystic and so-called spiritual beliefs behind natural activities in past ages are now clearly explained by natural laws. In ages to come, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see mankind become complete masters of nature and take total control of this God-given world—and probably some other worlds out there.

Probably, then and only then would tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, climate change, planet-destructive comets, and other negative and uncontrollable natural activities be subdued or even prevented. If this happens, mankind will be completely in charge of the world in the way that God intended when he handed over the dominion of the world to man in the beginning.